The Joy of Bad Reviews

John Scalzi and Justine Larbalestier are talking about “owning” your one star reviews on Amazon. I went to go look mine up, only to discover that, to my shock, I don’t have any one star reviews on Amazon. Given the angst I’ve felt over Amazon reviews in the past, I was sure that some of them had to be one star. No, apparently only two stars. I have my fair share of those.(Don’t worry, though, I have plenty of one star reviews on Goodreads!)

Yet none of them, I think, can possibly top the one I just received for Rampant. A snippet of its (two star) fabulosity:

“I felt as if the author is very self-impressed and narcissistic. Which I guess is fine until it permeates the writing. If you read the jacket cover – all about how wonderful and adventurous she is – and then realize she’s attempted to weave in the myth of Diana goddess of the hunt and that her name is Diana….well too much self homage for me. Nothing redeems this insipid tale.”

Finally, someone calls me out for making the magic system in my book something that was invented by a goddess whose name is the same as mine. I was wondering when that would happen.

Justine’s post is all about Jane Austen’s one star Amazon reviews for Pride & Prejudice. I haven’t read through them, but I sincerely hope that someone calls that chick out for naming her most beautiful Bennett sister Jane, not to mention that annoyingly perfect Jane Fairfax from Emma.